1997 Explorer exterior lock/handle issues

[Hamster65]

Hi folks,
The driver's door lock is acting up.. If I lock it from the outside with the key, I can unlock it with the key just fine but if I lock it by pushing the lock down then close the door, I can't turn the key to unlock it.
I've inspected the mechanism and it does have some play so, I'm thinking I just need to replace the latch assembly but, I wanted a 2nd opinion.

Also, the outside handle is floppy. I can lift it almost all the way up before it has any resistance but, it still opens the door just fine. All the linkage is intact and nothing seems to be bent or loose. I'm hoping that replacing the latch assembly will fix that too but, I just don't know. Is there a spring or something that has broken or come off?

I can't open the LR door. When I pull up on the lock, it doesn't feel like it's unlocking and unlike the driver's door, pulling the inside door handle won't open it either. Unfortunately, I can't remove the inside door panel while the door is closed so, I can't get in there to see what's going on. Any suggestions?

 

[AWD Expy]

Hi folks,
The driver's door lock is acting up.. If I lock it from the outside with the key, I can unlock it with the key just fine but if I lock it by pushing the lock down then close the door, I can't turn the key to unlock it.
I've inspected the mechanism and it does have some play so, I'm thinking I just need to replace the latch assembly but, I wanted a 2nd opinion.

Also, the outside handle is floppy. I can lift it almost all the way up before it has any resistance but, it still opens the door just fine. All the linkage is intact and nothing seems to be bent or loose. I'm hoping that replacing the latch assembly will fix that too but, I just don't know. Is there a spring or something that has broken or come off?

I can't open the LR door. When I pull up on the lock, it doesn't feel like it's unlocking and unlike the driver's door, pulling the inside door handle won't open it either. Unfortunately, I can't remove the inside door panel while the door is closed so, I can't get in there to see what's going on. Any suggestions?

I have a similar issue with the outside handle of the driver's door. Floppy until most of the way out, then still working ok. I pulled the inside trim panel, and saw that 2 springs appeared to be broken. They are on the pivot points of both sides of the handle. The handle looks like it is riveted to the door skin, so it's more trouble than it's worth, for me anyway.

That driver's door lock will usually only unlock when I use the inside handle. It won't unlock using the key or for...rarely anyway. Even more rare is me actually locking the vehicle. Then a couple weeks ago, the inside handle quit working. It stayed in the pulled out position. The door still closed fine, but I had to roll down the window and open the door. So I swapped that inside handle with the back one. That much of it works fine now. Now I consider the back door as permanently child proof.

My driver's door needs help in the hinge area. It is somewhat saggy, and I can hear and feel the bad spot when moving the door.

 

[donalds]

How To: Drivers Exterior Door Handle Replacement

Way MORE info than the title says

 

[Alex from GA]

I bought an outside door handle @ rockauto for less than $5 and it wasn't hard to replace it. Youtube has several videos.